Hydrostatic balancing jacket with removable ballast

ABSTRACT

Hydrostatic balancing jacket including coupling means between at least one of the jacket walls and one ballast. Said coupling means include complementary means reciprocally removable respectively placed on the jacket wall and on the ballast, being provided locking means of said coupling.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention refers to hydrostatic balancing jackets, and in particular refers to an hydrostatic balancing jacket provided with removable ballast.

[0002] By now the hydrostatic balancing jackets are since long time part of the normal equipment of a diver.

[0003] Normally, the balancing jackets include a dorsal element from which project two abdominal pectoral parts and two strap pieces, connectable with each other. Generally, the pectoral abdominal edges or the dorsal element are inflatable and allow the floating of the diver, who can adjust the inflation pressure to change his depth level.

[0004] This equipment item has developed both from the point of view of the wearability and the functionality. Its developing has somewhat required the adjustment of other equipment items; in fact it proves to be rather uncomfortable to wear, together with the jacket of the type now on the market, the lead weight belt which for a long time has been the diver's ballast. The easiest solution is to place the ballast on the jacket so that it can be removed.

[0005] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,247 is described a balancing jacket where it is provided at least one pocket proper to contain a weight; the weight is at its turn preferably contained within a bag having shape and size proper for its insertion into said pocket.

[0006] This kind of solution provide for an easy ballast system adjustable according to the jacket not providing the usual ballast supporting means, such as belts or the like; nevertheless it is to say that there is a strong dependence on the size and shape of the pocket destined to house the weight and the bag containing it.

[0007] In the U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,667 is described a jacket provided with at least one pipe, and at least one container provided with stiffening means able to support at least one weight for the insertion and the removal of said container in said pipe. In this case also, even if the insertion of the ballast is guided, and then more controlled, the reciprocal sizes of the pipe and the container proper to contain the weight have remarkable importance.

[0008] Aim of the present invention is then a balancing jacket to which it could be connected a ballast independently on the shape or the size of this last.

[0009] Object of the present invention is then an hydrostatic balancing jacket including coupling means between at least one of the jacket walls and one ballast wherein said coupling means include complementary means reciprocally removable respectively placed on the jacket wall and on the ballast, being provided locking means of said coupling.

[0010] In an embodiment form the coupling means include a guide connected to the jacket wall, cooperating with a cursor projecting from the ballast. The ballast can include a container able to house one or more weights, or can be formed by the weights themselves, made in the most proper way for this aim.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Further advantages and features of the balancing jacket according to the present invention will be cleared by the following detailed description of an embodiment form of the same, shown as a not limitative description, with reference to the figure of the enclosed drawings, where:

[0012]FIG. 1 is a front elevation schematic view of a balancing jacket according to the present invention;

[0013]FIG. 2 is a detail in perspective showing the coupling and locking means of the jacket ballast;

[0014]FIG. 3 is an elevation view with sectioned parts of a detail concerned with the locking means;

[0015]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a detail concerned with the ballast coupling means;

[0016] FIGS. 5 to 7 show the operation of the balancing jacket according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0017] In FIG. 1 is schematically shown the balancing jacket according to the present invention; said jacket includes a dorsal element 10, from which project two strap pieces 11 and two pectoral abdominal strips 12. On one of said pectoral abdominal parts is placed the ballast 1; it includes the containers 101 coupling with the plate 301 (section-lined in figure) placed on the edge 12. The ballast is moreover provided with locking means 2.

[0018]FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail of the invention jacket, with the ballast 1 separated from the jacket itself. The ballast 1 includes the containers 101, provided with the opening 131 where one weight 401 is inserted; on the container 101 wall and on the foldable layer 111 of the same container are placed the Velcro strips 121 allowing the closing. On the back the containers 101 are fastened to the support 201 provided at one end with the bracket 211 on which is assembled the pin 221. The locking means of the ballast include a body 2 provided with a through hole 202; within the lock is inserted the plate 402, integral with the pushbutton 102, within which is the hole 412, misaligned with the hole 202. The body 2 is connected to the pin 221 through the J arms 302. The pin 502 projecting from the edge 12 wall and connected with it through its base 522 is destined to co-operate with the holes 202 and 412 through the groove 512 radially obtained on the side surface. By the side of the pin 502 on the jacket edge 12 wall is fastened the plate 301 on which is obtained the guide 311.

[0019]FIG. 3 shows in detail the operation of the ballast locking means. The plate 402, whose outer side edge is connected to the push-button 102, is provided with a through hole 412 whose dimensions are the same of the hole 202 obtained on the body 2. The cylindrical part 422 connected to said plate 402, sliding within the cylindrical cavity 602 obtained in the body 2, is normally pushed upwards from the spring 132, so that the hole 202 and the hole 412 get misaligned with each other. The cooperation between the radial pin 112 and the radial cavity 432 of the cylindrical part 422 prevent the plate 402 from going out of its housing within the body 2.

[0020] In FIG. 4 is shown the ballast in rear view; it can be seen more easily the support 201 on which is made the cursor 231 destined to cooperate with the guide 311 of the plate 301 shown in FIG. 2.

[0021] The functioning of the balancing jacket according to the present invention will become clear from what follows, with reference to the FIGS. 5 to 7 of the enclosed drawings. In FIG. 5 the ballast 1 appears connected with the wall of the balancing jacket pectoral abdominal part 12, being the cursor 231 made on the containers 101 support 201 inserted in the guide 311 obtained on the plate connected to said edge 12. Moreover the pin 502 is caged in the hole 201 of the body 2. As appearing evident from FIG. 3 previously described, the misalignment between the hole 412 of the plate 402 and the hole 202 locks the pin 502 operating on its groove 512. In this situation the ballast 1 is steady connected to the jacket, and it is not possible that it gets released, even by accidental causes.

[0022] To separate the ballast from the jacket, the diver has to realign the two holes 412 and 202, so to allow the pin to go out from the same ones; then by lifting the body 2 and rotating it to the outside as to the pin 211, to take out the pin 502 from the body 2. At this point, the last operation is about the releasing of the cursor 231 from the guide 311, occurring by simply dragging of the ballast 1 to the locking pin 502. These easy operations performed in inverse order allow to connect the jacket to the ballast. It is obvious that the ballast can be positioned in any outer or inner wall of the jacket, and also to the ventral band of the jacket, not shown in the enclosed drawings.

[0023] The balancing jacket so designed is effectively provided with easily positionable and easily releasable ballast and whose weight can be changed in the most simply way. 

I claim:
 1. An hydrostatic balancing jacket including coupling means between at least one of the jacket walls and one ballast wherein said coupling means include complementary means reciprocally removable respectively placed on the said jacket wall and on the said ballast, being provided locking means of said coupling.
 2. A jacket according to claim 1 , in which said coupling means include a guide connected to said wall of said jacket, co-operating with a cursor projecting from the ballast.
 3. A jacket according to claim 2 , in which the said ballast includes at least one container able to house one or more weights, placed on a support from which it projects said cursor.
 4. A jacket according to claim 3 , where said-locking means include a body hinged to said support, provided with an axial through hole, being in said body inserted a plate also provided with a through hole, said through holes being each other misaligned by means of spring return means operating on a part of said plate, said holes cooperating with a pin, provided with a radial groove, projecting from the wall said of said jacket.
 5. A jacket according to claim 1 , where said ballast is connected to an inner wall or an outer wall of the said jacket.
 6. A jacket according to claim 1 , where said ballast is connected to the ventral jacket band. 